Statement of the Technical Field
The inventive arrangements relate to force monitoring systems and more particularly to devices which are used to monitor forces applied through a lower limb of a person.
Description of the Related Art
Lower limb force measuring systems can measure a load or force which is applied to a lower limb through a foot. These systems are used in a wide variety of situations where a medical condition necessitates that a force or load applied to a lower body extremity (or prosthetic) is to be limited to some predetermined level. Such situations may arise, for example, during rehabilitation therapy after surgery or injury to the hips, knees, ankles or other portions of the lower body. Lower limb force measuring systems as described herein can also be used in other health and fitness monitoring situations involving walking, running, or jumping activities. In each of these scenarios, it may be necessary to carefully measure the force exerted upon a lower limb.
Lower limb force monitoring systems can include a sensor portion and a monitoring portion. The sensor portion usually comprises a force sensitive means that is positioned beneath the sole of the foot. The force sensitive means can be comprised of an insole for a shoe. Accordingly, an insole as described herein may have the shape of a conventional shoe insole. The actual force sensing is performed by one or more force sensors which are incorporated into the insole. The sensor portion of a force measuring system as described herein can be connected to an electronic control system. The control system receives electrical signals from the force sensitive means and can include a battery to power the system. The control system can also include an alarm circuit. The alarm circuit can include an audio transducer (e.g. a buzzer) that is triggered when the force level measured by the sensor exceeds a predetermined limit. In some such systems, the predetermined limit can be adjusted by a user to accommodate the needs of different individuals.